Online Business: July 2016

Mango Salsa

I cannot seem to get enough mango salsa this Summer. Who knew it was seriously so good!! It might seem a little weird making a salsa without any tomatoes, but you don't even miss them. I have been eating this salsa plain with chips, on top of quesadillas, on tacos and a few other dishes.

It's sweet, but has a slight kick at the end and leaves just a little tingle on your tongue. If you want less of a kick, just add less jalapeños. I prefer the flavor of jarred jalapeños and that is what I use. Check out this post for a pic of the jalapeños, if you aren't sure what they are.

P.S. If you are not sure how to prep a mango, there are plenty of videos on the internet that will show you how.

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Pineapple Avocado Salsa

Rosalie's Salsa

Easiest Salsa (Blender Salsa)

Mango Salsa
From: Jenn@eatcakefordinner
(Printable Recipe)

2 ripe mangos, diced
1 red bell pepper, ribbed, seeded and chopped
1/4 c. finely chopped onion
8-10 slices jarred jalapeños, finely chopped
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
salt, to taste
juice of 1 lime

In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients. Taste and adjust any ingredients, if needed. Serve.

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Menu Plan Saturday #80

SUNDAY

America's Test Kitchen Pork Tostadas

MONDAY

Zucchini Casserole with Stuffing

TUESDAY

Paula Deen's Garlic Alfredo Sauce

WEDNESDAY

Summer Chicken Wraps

THURSDAY

Pat's Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

FRIDAY

Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwiches

SATURDAY

Menu Plan Day and Take Out Night

FOR DESSERT

Softest Zucchini Cookies with Browned Butter Frosting

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Shredded Pork Chimichangas

This very well might have been the first time I have eaten a chimichanga. I remember my Mom making them when I was younger, but I don't remember ever eating them? I was kinda picky :(

These were surprisingly really easy to make. I used the same shredded pork recipe I use in my favorite Shredded Pork Tacos. It marinates overnight and it's tender, juicy and full of flavor. Then, I loaded them with beans and cheese, rolled them up and pan-fried them until browned and crisp. The frying part is super fast. Make sure you don't walk away from the stove or they will burn.

Top them with your favorite toppings and dig in.

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Crunchy Shredded Pork Tacos

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Copycat Cafe Rio Shredded Beef Tacos

Shredded Pork Chimichangas
From: Jenn@eatcakefordinner
(Printable Recipe)

For the Shredded Pork
3 Lbs. boneless pork country style ribs (or pork shoulder or loin)
1 Tbl. chili powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c. light brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 c. finely chopped onion, plus a few
big onion chunks for cooking
2 - 3 Tbl. olive oil or avocado oil
2 Tbl. cider vinegar

For the Chimichangas
5-6 large burrito-size tortillas
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
chopped cilantro
vegetable or canola oil, for frying

For Serving (all optional)
shredded lettuce
sour cream
salsa
jarred jalapeños, chopped
chopped cilantro
shredded Cheddar cheese

For the Shredded Pork: Trim any large pockets of fat from the pork and cut pork into 2-3-inch chunks; set aside. Combine chili powder, oregano, cumin, salt, pepper, brown sugar, minced garlic and the finely chopped onion. Add two Tablespoons of oil and the cider vinegar and stir together to form a paste. If it's too thick, add another Tablespoon of oil. Rub the paste all over the pork, covering ever last bit. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. When ready to cook, place pork in a large, oven-safe, pot and add enough water or chicken broth to cover the pork not quite halfway. Place some onion chunks right on top of the pork.

Cover with a lid and cook in a 300 degree oven until the pork is falling apart, about 3 - 3 1/2 hours, stirring once ever hour. Remove from oven and allow to rest for about 15 minutes. Remove the pork chunks and shred, adding some of the cooking liquid, so the pork is nice and juicy.

To prepare the Chimichangas: Heat vegetable or canola oil in a large skillet, over medium-high heat. You will want to add enough oil to cover the entire bottom of the pan. Meanwhile, lay tortillas out on the counter. Divide shredded pork between tortillas. Then, top each one with black beans, shredded cheese and some chopped cilantro. Roll up each tortilla, folding in the sides as you roll, to form a burrito. Place, seam-side down, in the hot skillet. It's easiest for me to cook one at a time.

This cooking process will go extremely fast, so don't walk away. Once first side is browned, use tongs and flip over to brown the other side. Then, use the tongs to hold and brown both edges, so all four sides are crispy. Remove chimichanga and place on a paper towel lined plate. Repeat.

For Serving: Top chimichangas with desired toppings and serve. Serves: 5-6.

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Menu Plan Saturday #79

SUNDAY

Baked Italian Sandwich

MONDAY

Easy Weeknight Pasta

Use leftover Spinach from Sunday's sandwich

TUESDAY

Chicken, Broccoli and Cheese Hot Pockets

WEDNESDAY

Easy Chili Cheese Enchiladas

THURSDAY

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu Bake

Use leftover ham from Sunday's sandwich

FRIDAY

Chicken Parmesan Crescents

SATURDAY

Menu Plan Day and Take Out Night

FOR DESSERT

Chocolate Zucchini Sheet Cake

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Cinnamon Roll Zucchini Bread

I turned one of our favorite Cinnamon Roll Quick Bread recipes in to a zucchini version. When you have a lot of zucchini on hand, you have to find ways to incorporate it into almost everything you make :)

It turned out fantastic and it's delicious. It's extremely moist and the cinnamon swirl is gooey and totally makes you think of a cinnamon roll quick bread when you eat it. I left half of the peel on my zucchini, so you can see some green specks throughout, but if you were to peel your zucchini completely then no one would ever know the secret ingredient.

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Cinnamon Roll Quick Bread

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Cinnamon Roll Zucchini Bread

From: Jenn@eatcakefordinner

(Printable Recipe)

1/4 c. unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 c. sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

3/4 c. non-fat plain Greek Yogurt

1 c. shredded zucchini (I peel half of mine)

1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

Cinnamon Swirl Layer

2 1/2 Tbl. sugar

2 1/2 Tbl. brown sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 Tbl. water

Vanilla Icing

1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1-2 tsp. milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x5-inch bread pan with parchment paper, leaving a slight overhang, and spray with cooking spray; set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla using an electric mixer until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the yogurt and mix well. Stir in the shredded zucchini. In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir together until just combined.

Spread half of the batter into prepared bread pan. Stir together all of the cinnamon swirl layer ingredients and spread over batter, leaving a small border around the edge. Top with remaining bread batter and spread out evenly. Bake in preheated oven for 46-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. As the bread bakes, it will create swirls of cinnamon sugar throughout. Remove from oven and cool in pan 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely then top with vanilla icing.

For the Vanilla Icing: Combine powdered sugar, vanilla and 1 teaspoon of milk and stir together until smooth. If it's too thick, add a tiny bit more milk. Pour over cooled bread.

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Menu Plan Saturday #78

SUNDAY

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Turkey Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

Turkey Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

MONDAY
BBQ Pulled Pork Salad
This recipe is for chicken, but you can use the leftover pork from Sunday instead.

TUESDAY

Cheeseburger Pizza

WEDNESDAY

The Best Fluffy French Toast Ever

THURSDAY
Chicken and Zucchini Stir Fry

FRIDAY

Breaded Chicken Cutlets with Milk Gravy

SATURDAY
Menu Plan Day and Take Out Night

FOR DESSERT

Chunky Brownie Ice Cream

FOR A SNACK

Peach Bread

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Chocolate Whoopie Pie Cake

Let me introduce you to one of the BEST cakes you will ever have. Seriously, I love this cake. Every layer of flavor is out of control delicious. A dense, fudgy cake with a soft and pillowy marshmallow filling and creamy chocolate ganache. OMG!!!

It's a cake version of a Whoopie Pie. Instead of a dense chocolate cookie with marshmallow filling, it's a dense chocolate cake with marshmallow filling. I don't know about you, but I would pick cake over a cookie any day of the week.

After my first bite of this DIVINE cake, I decided this would have to be my birthday cake this year and I did in fact make it for myself on my birthday :) It starts out with the easiest semi-homemade cake. I use this cake recipe all the time and switch up the cake mix and pudding flavor depending on my mood. This is the perfect go-to recipe to have on hand. Then, you will make an extremely creamy and fluffy marshmallow creme filling that is spread between the two layers of cake. Top it all off with a silky smooth chocolate ganache.

This is a really rich cake, so a small slice is plenty, but that won't stop you from going back for multiple slices throughout the day :)

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Chocolate Whoopie Pie Cake
From: Jenn@eatcakefordinner
(Printable Recipe)

1 (15.25 oz.) box chocolate fudge cake mix
1 (3.9 oz.) box instant chocolate fudge pudding mix
3/4 c. water
3/4 c. vegetable or canola oil
4 large eggs
1 c. sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
1 tsp. vanilla

Marshmallow Creme Filling:
10 Tbl. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 (7 oz.) carton marshmallow creme
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. powdered sugar

Chocolate Ganache:
1/2 c. chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate)
3 Tbl. whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For the Cake: Grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the dry cake mix, dry pudding mix, water, oil, eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Using a hand mixer, mix until all ingredients are completely incorporated and mixture is smooth. Pour batter into the prepared bundt pan and spread out evenly. It is a very thick batter. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool in pan for 10 minutes, then invert to a wire rack and cool completely. Once cake is cool, slice in half horizontally.

For the Marshmallow Creme Filling: In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, mix butter until smooth. Add the marshmallow creme, salt and vanilla and mix until well combined. Add one cup of powdered sugar and mix until combined. Add remaining one cup of powdered sugar and mix until smooth and creamy. Spread filling over the bottom half of the cake and place top half of cake over the creme filling.

For the Chocolate Ganache: Place chocolate chips in a small bowl; set aside. Microwave whipping cream in a small, microwave-safe, dish until it starts to bubble. Pour hot cream over chocolate chips and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Stir together until smooth and creamy. If chocolate chips aren't completely melted. Place in the microwave and heat, stirring every 10 seconds until mixture is smooth and chocolate is melted. Allow to cool for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened and pour over cake. Store cake in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving.